Howard County Association of REALTORS^®
March President's Report
by Blaine Milner
March 2001

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Here we are half way between St. Patrick's Day and April Fool's Day. I hope that you are all in the "green" and not being made the "fool." It can go either way quickly in this business, although in real estate, being made a fool seems to come considerably easier than the green stuff. Maybe there is a natural selection process that has to take place before learning how this game of real (estate) life is played.

I sacrificed my art class on March 13th to attend the Long Reach Community Association Town meeting. It was worth it. The meeting was very well attended. They had to keep bringing out more chairs. The eight-person panel was made up of County Executive James Robey, Council Member C.Vernon Gray, Board of Education Chairperson Jane Schuchardt, Dept. of Education Superintendent John O'Rourke, Police Chief Wayne Livesay, Dept. of Housing and Community Development Leonard Vaughn, Columbia Association President Maggie Brown and Rouse Company Vice President H. Alton Scavo.

Questions were presented to the panel by the four Long Reach Village board members and Columbia Council Representative Cecilia Januszkiewicz and by a number of the audience members. The discussion centered on crime, schools, the Columbia Association and the current and future state of Long Reach and Columbia in general. The Baltimore Sun articles by Grady Epstein a few months ago generated much of the concern. Those nasty articles may very well have served a useful cause after all.

I came away from the meeting feeling that Columbia and Howard County are in the hands of good leaders, several of them new to their positions. With the upcoming Columbia Association Village elections in April, there will be a number of new council representatives who will hopefully be able to assist Maggie Brown and the County leaders with strong decisions for the future growth of the entire Columbia/Howard County community.

The positive atmosphere of the meeting impressed me. Everyone was ready to support, protect and find ways to improve a community that has served all of us well--as a good home, source of education, entertainment, security and income. I hope that there are more of these town meetings. Please attend them and practice your right of citizen participation and expression.

The NAR Mid-Year meetings and Trade Show in Washington DC will begin on Monday, May 14th through Saturday, May 19th. Members can visit http://www.realtor.com for more information. The meetings are free to members. This is a convenient and inexpensive way to get association information and check out new products. It is a worthwhile and enjoyable way to spend a pleasant Spring day in Washington.

MAR and NAR (along with the Marines) are looking for a few good people. Members who would like to volunteer for committees may do so on line by April 2nd. Here is the NAR link: http://www.onerealtorplace.com/
comsel.nsf/webpage/mbrhome?OpenDocument&Login.

If you contact the Marines, be a little careful what you volunteer for. You may get more than your average open house.

For those of you who need service on your MARS lockboxes and keypads, you need to contact Dottie at 410-840-8003. The local MARS service office is located at the GBBR office on North Ridge Road in Ellicott City. Members who are experiencing problems with their GCAAR lockboxes and keypads should contact HCAR's local service location at PTS. It is located at The Executive House - Suite B, 1005 Old Columbia Road, Columbia 21046. (Crystal Heights Office Center off Shaker Drive, just south of Route 32). Please remember to be courteous and patient with our staff at PTS and we urge our members to plan ahead to visit the office before problems become crises.

Ramon Estrada and Norma Marsho attended the MRIS Annual Shareholders Meeting on March 22nd. A number of Board of Directors positions were up for election. Ramon has informed me that MRIS is doing well under the new leadership of David Charron, President and CEO. To contact MRIS call 301-838-7160 or 800-838-8138.

Please plan to join us on Monday, June 4th, for our annual HCAR Golf Classic at the Timbers at Troy Golf Course.

Congratulations to Shirley Matlock and Sue Pakulla who just completed the MAR Leadership Academy curriculum. And a big thank you to Ilene Kessler, MAR Legislative Committee Chair and Past President of HCAR, who testified on behalf of all Maryland REALTORS^® for passage of the Antidiscrimination Bill in hearings held in the House and Senate. As many of you know, Howard County has had this kind of law since 1975. Thank you to the Howard County delegation for its leadership on this issue.

HCAR Members will soon be receiving a post card announcing the new HCAR e-relationship. It will direct you to our web site: www.hcar.org for information regarding upcoming classes, events, legislative updates and the association newsletter. HCAR is no longer publishing a paper version of the newsletter so check your e-mail and the association web site regularly. You don't want to miss any exciting announcements, events or this extra - ordinary newsletter!